Finer Feelings
by puttingpentopaper
Summary: Postwar Maiko. Zuko's struggling as the new Firelord trying to rebuild his torn nation, and the angry stuck up politicians that come with it. Sequel to New Slang.
1. Chapter 1

Finally, I got this baby up. I know right? It took me forever. I actually wasn't sure how to start this before, and finally came up with an idea on vacation.

Sequal to New Slang. Starts off right where New Slang left off. If you haven't read New Slang, then the only thing that won't coincide I hope I used that right with the finale is probably just this first chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Trust me. I don't own Avatar.

Title is from the song Finer Feelings by Spoon.

* * *

It was a breathtaking view of the capital. The setting sun cast rays reflecting off of the red roofs of the buildings in the city, located in a crater next to the ocean. Currently, the new Firelord and his girlfriend were taking in the view from the balcony located on the large tower of the palace, where you could look down upon the whole city. Zuko had one arm holding onto the railing, with the other going behind Mai to hold onto the railing on the other side of her so she could be closer to him. Both seemed very content at the moment, leaving all of the worries of war and politics behind them. At least, for now…

"So, this is all yours now huh?" Mai asked not seeming too interested in the topic.

Zuko looked down at her smiling. "It's going to be yours someday too."

A small smirk became visible on Mai's face as she replied. "You seem so sure of yourself."

Zuko's smile turned into a concerned frown. "You're not?"

"Calm down. I was just joking," she told him.

As much as she liked the thought of marrying Zuko, it felt weird to talk about. She wasn't going to be sixteen for another two months and while it was the legal age for marriage, it was still considered a young age to marry. And even though she loved Zuko, (even if she never directly told him, he knew it) she wanted to make sure he wasn't going to leave her again. So, Mai quickly changed the subject, hoping to get rid of the awkwardness that was surrounding them.

"What's going on tomorrow?" she asked, yet again not seeming very interested.

"After my coronation, I have to go to a meeting with a bunch of angry politicians and war ministers. You want to come?" he asked somewhat joking and somewhat serious. He didn't like the thought of dealing with people who hated him no matter what he said.

Mai smiled as she spoke. "Thanks, but I'll pass. Ty Lee is leaving for Kyoshi Island tomorrow. I should probably say bye before she leaves."

Zuko looked at her, obviously confused.

Mai sighed, "She's a Kyoshi Warrior now." She continued, seeing this didn't help his understanding any bit. "Ty Lee had made friends with the Kyoshi Warriors, and after a while, they invited her to join."

"Huh," was Zuko's only reply. "Well, my uncle's leaving tomorrow too, and Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph aren't leaving until after the meeting, but Aang said he might stay until he makes sure everything's going to be okay. So even though Ty Lee's gone, we'll still have company for a while."

"They aren't going to be around _all _of the time while they're here, are they?" Mai asked.

"Well…they like to do things as a group, so yeah, probably."

"Lucky us." This response came dripping with sarcasm, of course. "What are you even going to talk about in that meeting." Right before he was about to reply she added, "Just a short summary, not every little detail."

Zuko shrugged. "Probably just removing Firenation troops from the Earth Kingdom, and giving them back their cities."

Mai moaned. "Ugh. Can you please have the troops in Omashu come back last? Please?"

Zuko chuckled a little. He knew _exactly_ why she wanted them back last. "Actually they're probably going to be one of the first to come back. Besides, King Bumi retook the city from the Firenation during the eclipse. The army and the governor were outside of the city waiting to strike again. My father had said they couldn't come back to the Firenation without regaining Omashu in the name of the Firelord. Your family will probably be back by next week."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Great. I enjoyed living by myself. I didn't have my mother nagging me, or an annoying toddler crying all the time." She looked up at Zuko. "You know, this means you can't come over anymore. My mom will pester you when you do, and she'll have to lecture me afterwards."

Zuko looked down at his feet, a blush slowly creeping onto his face. "Actually, I was thinking you could stay here, at the palace."

Mai's eyes widened, but other than that her face remained unchanged. "I can't stay here."

Zuko shot his head up and looked at her. "Why not?"

"Because, it would start gossip. You know that. I mean, if someone saw me come out of your room just once, people would start talking. And once they see me come out of your room every morning…It's just a bad idea." She honestly couldn't even believe he was suggesting she stay with him. It's not that they've never done anything, but they made sure that they didn't make it so obvious. They weren't even married. Great, now she was thinking about marriage again.

Zuko looked confused at first. Slowly his expression changed to a goofy grin. "Mai, I said you could stay at the palace. I never said anything about staying in my room."

Mai could feel the heat rise to her face. "Maybe if you weren't so vague…" she didn't even know what she was going to say after that.

Zuko wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer, laughing into her neck. He had _never_ seen her flustered. "So, do you want to stay here?"

The edges of Mai's lips quirked into a smile, as she felt his warm breathe against her neck. "Yeah, I guess."

He kissed her on her cheek. She turned her head so her lips met his for a deep kiss. After they pulled away, they stared at each other for a few seconds. "I'll let you have my old room or Azula's since they're nicer than the guest rooms."

"I'll take your old one." Mai didn't think she could stand being in Azula's room. She had heard what happened to Azula. Part of her felt somewhat bad for the girl. At one point in her life, Mai had actually been friends with the princess, and it was partially Mai's fault that Azula went crazy. Plus she liked the thought of staying in Zuko's old room, sleeping in his old bed…

"Okay, I'll tell the servants to get it ready. It's probably a little dusty." Zuko reluctantly let go of Mai and grabbed her hand as they left their spot on the balcony.

And that was the most relaxing evening they would have for a long while, and unfortunately both of them knew it.

* * *

Meh. I honestly had no idea how to end this chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else to write. It'll be deeper as it goes on. Trust me.

So, there's chapter one. I'll try my best to update this at least once a week, but I'm not good at those kinda promises, so who knows.


	2. Chapter 2

Mai wondered through the palace, searching for Zuko. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. She had waited outside the War Chamber for him earlier when the meeting was _supposed_ to be finished. After waiting half an hour for it to let out, she decided she was through waiting and left. Luckily target practice had relieved her of her boredom, for a short while anyway. Part of her actually missed Ty Lee's constant chatter. At least it gave her something to listen too, with Zuko gone. Hopefully by now the meeting was over. It's been three hours since it was supposed to have ended. They must've reached _some_ sort of conclusion by now.

Mai kept searching hoping she'd find him. The only place she had checked was his room, and there was no sign he had even been in there. Mai sighed. She honestly didn't even know if it was worth it. She'd probably see him tomorrow anyway, and it was late, and she was tired.

Right before she was about to turn around and go to bed, she heard two familiar voices. She was pretty sure they belonged to the Avatar's friends. Maybe Zuko was with them. He had said they were supposed to go to the meeting. She rounded the corner and found her guess was right as to whom the voices belonged to, but no Zuko. Unfortunately they spotted her before she could turn around.

"Hey Mai," the water tribe boy shouted. What did Zuko say his name was? Sukka? Sokka? That was it, Sokka.

Mai mumbled some sort of greeting in reply.

"So why weren't _you_ at the meeting?" the blind girl asked. Mai was pretty sure her name was Toph.

Mai started to look somewhat annoyed. It felt weird to talk to them. Even though they were on the same side, she had attacked them and now they were talking to her as if she was an acquaintance. "There was no point in me going," Mai finally answered.

"Pshh lucky. I was ready to crush some of those generals. They really need to be straightened out." She cracked her knuckles as if she was about to teach them a lesson right now.

"Hey do you-" Mai started before Sokka interrupted her.

"I know! They just kept going on and on about how Zuko's not doing much to restore the honor of the Firenation and blah blah blah. I thought they'd _never_ shut up!" Mai noticed the boy talked with his hands, a lot. She also noticed how unbearably annoying he was.

"Now you know how we feel," Toph said smiling and gave him a hard punch in the arm. Mai decided Toph seemed pretty decent. At least she could stand to be around her for a while longer than Sokka.

Sokka yelped in pain and rubbed his arm. "Hey! I'm not that bad! Am I Mai?"

Great, now she was being dragged into this. It was bad enough to watch them. "Do you know where Zuko is?" Mai asked hopeful to get away.

Sokka looked annoyed that she never answered his question, but shook it off. "Yeah, I think he said they'd be in the study with Aang and Katara reading over the final documents for the night."

Before Mai was able to give her thanks Toph spoke up. "Jeez. I never thought you were the clingy type, Sunshine. When was the last time you saw him? Earlier today?"

Wait, did Toph just call her _Sunshine_? And Mai was _not_ clingy. She about had it with these two.

She rolled her eyes and was about to leave when she felt an arm around her shoulder. She glared at Sokka as he gave her an explanation she definitely could've lived without. "See, Toph doesn't know what it's like to be in a relationship. She doesn't get that the times you spend away from each other seem like a lifetime. I hope one day she'll find a guy who can make her feel the same way."

She heard Toph mutter something angrily in response. Mai scoffed as she shook his arm of her shoulder. "It's not going to kill me if I don't see him today," she drawled before leaving the two.

Soon enough Mai found the doors to the study, tucked away on one side of the palace, overlooking a courtyard. She had been in the study once before, and it was a very peaceful place to relax. Unfortunately the inhabitants were doing the opposite of that.

She knocked on the door before slowly opening it and peering in. She saw Aang and Katara sitting together at one table, looking up from their papers to see who the visitor was. They both smiled at her and Aang greeted her with a "Hi Mai." She nodded in response. She saw Zuko hunched over a desk near a large window, as he shot his head up at the mention of her name. He smiled softly as his eyes met hers, which she returned as she fully entered the room.

Zuko turned to look at Aang and Katara. "I'm about halfway through with these papers, and it looks you guys are too. We should take a break. We'll meet back here in an hour."

Katara nodded and Aang sighed and slouched in his seat looking somewhat defeated. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I could use a break."

Zuko stood up and followed Mai out of the room. He smiled at her as she wrapped her arms around his left one, her hand right hand holding his left, as they strolled around some of the more peaceful and quiet areas of the palace.

They walked in silence for a while. Mai looked up at Zuko and noticed he seemed somewhat distant, like his thoughts were somewhere else at the moment.

"So, how did the meeting go?" Mai asked, breaking the silence.

Zuko sighed. She could feel him tense up. "It went…_well_, I guess." She could tell he was lying. They sat down on a small bench overlooking the gardens.

"I ran into some of your friends earlier, Sokka and Toph."

Zuko looked at her and smiled. "Oh really?"

"If I'm ever alone with one of them again, I'll probably ended up killing myself. Or them," Mai said with an amused tone as a smirk came to her face.

Zuko chuckled. "It was that bad, huh?"

"Yeah. They also told me the generals were giving you a hard time at the meeting," she said with a more serious tone.

Zuko looked at the ground, fumbling with his hands. "They don't get that the war is over. They're still stuck on their old ways. They won't listen to reason."

Mai put her arm around him as some sort of comfort. "You knew not to expect them to understand yet. I don't know why you're treating this as some sort of surprise."

"I just didn't think they'd be _this_ unreasonable."

"Do you want me to come to one of the meetings?" she asked. Normally, these kinds of things didn't interest her. They still didn't, but she had never seen him this distraught before, and she had seen him distraught plenty of times.

Zuko shook his head and answered quickly, "No." Mai seemed somewhat taken aback by this. _He_ had asked _her_ to go a day earlier, and now it seemed like he didn't want her there at all. "I'll be fine. Besides, Aang was able to get one of the generals to at least consider we were doing the right thing…I think." He smiled softly assuring her he would be fine. She still didn't seem convinced as he went in to give her a quick reassuring kiss.

He walked her back to her room and stopped in front of her door as she turned to him. "I'm guessing you have meetings tomorrow too?"

Zuko frowned, "Yeah, and the next day. I'm sorry, Mai."

She just shrugged, "Whatever. I guess I'll _try_ to find something at least somewhat entertaining to occupy my time." She put her hand on his unscarred cheek.

"Your parents are due to arrive the day after tomorrow," he suggested.

Mai rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yeah because that's _exactly_ what I had in mind." He smiled back as she kissed him softly. They said their "goodnights" and went their separate ways, Mai to her bed, and Zuko to his study to complete his paperwork.

He felt his smile wear off as he returned to his paperwork, which he would later find occupying his remaining time for the next couple of days.

* * *

Yet again, lame ending. I really need to work on those...

Anyhoo, thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys rock my sox. Seriously, no joke.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been one week. One whole week since she'd even seen him, let alone talk to him. This was becoming ridiculous. She understood he was busy, but not to have _any_ free time? Mai had expected not to see Zuko for two days, four at the most, but a week? She lived in the palace, its not like he couldn't spare half an hour at the most to see her. She didn't want to sound whiny and needy. That certainly wasn't her intention. She knew he would visit her if he could, but apparently he couldn't. She wanted to know _why_ this was taking so long. All they were doing was pulling the troops out of the Earth Kingdom and discussing local conflicts, which as far as she knew weren't bad.

The past week had not been one of her most exciting. The first day, she was bored out of her mind with nothing to do. The Avatar and his friends had left too early in the morning for her to see them off. The second day, her parents returned from Omashu. She had (barely) been able to spend the whole day with them, let alone four. Mai had to admit it wasn't as bad as it could've been, considering she hadn't seen them in a long while, although it certainly wasn't the highlight of her life. Her mother updated her on the news about what had been happening, namely the subject of how some of Mai's former classmates had become betrothed to the finest general's and politician's sons. Mai, of course, was not the least bit interested. Her mother did appear pleased to hear that Mai was seeing the Firelord. She would occasionally ask Mai questions about their relationship. Mai replying with a curt answer, feeling uncomfortable to go into too much detail.

By the sixth day, Mai had decided she needed to take a break from her parents. She stayed in the palace that whole day. She practiced her throwing, making sure she was still as accurate as ever. Of course, that got old after two hours. She sat in the shade of the tree next to the turtleduck pond, which had become one of her favorite spots. She even wrote a letter to Ty Lee. It basically asked her how everything was on Kyoshi Island and that Ty Lee was welcomed to visit anytime.

Today, she had planned something different. Her father had been attending the meetings for the past few days, so she decided to join him. She knew Zuko asked her not to go to any of the meetings, but she _had_ to find out what was going on. She knew nothing about how bad the meetings actually were.

"Are you sure you have permission from the Firelord to attend this meeting?" her father asked as they walked side by side towards the war chamber.

"Yes. This is the third time I've told you," she lied for the third time. Luckily, Mai could keep the same face under most circumstances, lying being one of them.

Her father sighed and stroked his gray beard. "I suppose you're right. Just make sure you don't make a scene. Actually, you shouldn't speak at all. Those officials are sensitive. Its best that no one offends them, especially a fifteen-year-old girl who's never been to a war meeting before. Do you understand?"

Mai rolled her eyes and muttered a "Yes, Dad." She wasn't going to be front and center anyway, she decided she was going to stay near the back of the chamber where most of the officials wouldn't even notice her.

They continued their walk in a peaceful silence. Her father smiling and giving a polite nod to familiar faces they passed.

Unfortunately her father had to interrupt the silence. "So, you've been staying here?"

Mai nodded in response.

Her father smiled. "Well, you should consider yourself lucky, Mai. The other young girls would love to be in your place. I spoke with Admiral Chan, who mentioned how he wouldn't be surprised if you ended up becoming Firelady, at least to some extent."

That caught her attention. "What do you mean to some extent?" she asked warily.

He shook it off as if it were nothing. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with. If you're happy with the Firelord, I'm happy, and I'll try to make sure you won't have to worry about it."

Mai knew better than that. Her father wasn't happy she found someone she was happy _with_, he was happy that she was happy with the Firelord. It's not that he didn't care for his daughter. He did. He saw keeping his high government position as keeping his family happy. The wealthier and more prosperous he was, the happier his family should be. And Mai couldn't blame him. This was the idea most nobles were brainwashed into thinking was the perfect way of life. Even though he had the wrong ideas of how to keep a family happy (for example actually spending _time_ with them rather than making sure they grow up together) he at least did what he thought would make his family happy rather than himself. Training Mai to be a perfect lady, was one of those things, which had never thrilled Mai in the very least.

Before Mai could ask what he meant again by his earlier comment, they came across the curtains to the war chamber. There were two royal guards standing in front of the entrance making sure no one that wasn't supposed to attended. Of course they paid no mind to Mai, knowing too well who she was.

As they entered, Mai saw the Firelord's throne, which was not occupied at the moment. She saw that some of the officials had already arrived, most of whom she recognized to be her father's acquaintances, who either greeted him with a grin or a polite nod coming from the ones he was less familiar with as he took his seat at the large table in the center of the room.

Mai glided off into the shadows, locating a cushion, which she supposed was used for spectators as herself. She watched as the seats around the table quickly began to fill up. Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting Zuko appeared on his throne. The chatter quickly died down, as the Firelord took his seat.

"Admiral San, could you please inform us of where we left off."

A smile slowly crept onto Mai's face, she had never known Zuko could sound so official. Of course, it had never crossed her mind as to what he would sound like during these meetings since she usually never concerned herself with them.

Admiral San stood up. "Of course. You had suggested we should withdraw troops from Xian Wei."

Zuko gave him a nod for him to sit down. "Thank you, Admiral. I've received letters from General Wen that the city is stable. I suggest withdrawing the troops immediately."

An official Mai didn't recognize stood up. "Of course the city is stable now, but I'm not sure it will remain that way without the presence of our troops. It was one of the first major cities we had conquered after all," he added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes but-" Zuko started before being cut off from the official.

"I suggest that we leave them there a while longer. In case anything were to happen," the politician continued.

Mai couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was sure…no she _knew_ it was disrespectful to interrupt anyone during these meetings, especially the Firelord.

"I understand what you're saying General, but the letter specifically stated that General Wen felt it would be safe to leave the city and return home." She could tell Zuko was growing increasingly annoyed.

"And what I'm suggesting, is that they still may have some resentment towards the Firenation, so unless we keep some sort of military presence there, they could form an army and decide to attack us, especially now that you've decided to keep our borders more open."

Mai could tell that just by how the General talked that this behavior had gone on for days. She noticed that some of the other officials seemed to have the same attitude, and to her displeasure Zuko wasn't doing anything about it other than becoming annoyed. She now knew the reason that meetings that should only be a few hours to a day were turning into three or four days.

Eventually, the seemingly never-ending meeting finally came to a close. Mai, who had dozed off for who knows how long, couldn't be happier. As she stood up to leave, she gave one last glance up at the defeated looking Firelord, who unfortunately caught her eye as he clenched his jaw in aggravation as he saw she disobeyed him. Luckily, he said nothing as to avoid a scene, which Mai knew would've thrown her father off the deep end.

After Mai had said goodbye to her father Mai headed off to Zuko's room, which was yet again unoccupied. That was odd, since it was already late. Normally Mai was asleep by this time. Remembering what Sokka had said a week before, she ventured off to the study knowing that was probably her next best shot at finding him. She tried the doors of the study, only to find them locked. She could see the room was lit up, and could her a fire crackling inside the room. Obviously it was occupied. She knocked on the wooden doors.

She heard an agitated growl come from inside the room. "I thought I've asked not to be disturbed!"

"It's me Zuko. Open up," Mai said in her normal monotone, but loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door.

As the door opened Mai saw herself face to face with a completely different Zuko. She hadn't been able to get a good look at him during the meeting, but now she could see the extent of his troubles on his face. He had dark bags under his eyes, his eyebrows looked as if they were fixed into a permanent glare, and his mouth into a permanent frown. Also, it seemed as if he hadn't shaven in a while from the stubble growing on his face, which frankly looked pretty odd seeing as it didn't grow on the side of his scar. Mai decided she definitely liked clean-shaven, normal Zuko better than this one.

He was even acting strange. He hadn't invited her into the room yet. "Mind if I come in? Or are we just going to stand here all night?" Mai finally asked, inviting herself into the room.

Zuko nodded and opened the door wider gesturing her to come in. She found a seat on the couch across from the desk where he was working. She wondered how he could find anything, seeing papers scattered across the desk in a completely unorganized grouping. He seemed to practically ignore her and went back to his papers as she lazily stretched across the couch, making herself comfortable.

"So, I went to the meeting today," Mai stated bluntly, obviously seeing he was not going to make an effort to converse.

He stopped shuffling his papers and placed them down as he inhaled a deep breath. "I know. Even after I asked you not to go," he added.

Mai appeared to be examining her nails as she spoke. "I wanted to see what was going on."

"It doesn't matter! You shouldn't have disobeyed me. All you had to do was ask, and I would've told you," he snapped.

Normally Mai would be angered at his sudden outburst, but she let it slide. She could see the stress gnawing away at him. "Zuko, these meetings were only supposed to take two days, not a whole week. And it's still not over. When was I supposed to see you anyway? Its not like you've had any free time." She stood up and moved towards him, placing a hand on the scarred side of his face, directing his gaze at her. "Zuko, I'm actually worried about you."

Zuko looked into her eyes for a second. They had softened and held concern. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood for any of this right now. He needed to get his work done. He turned his head away, and strode over to the fireplace, gazing at its flames. "I'm fine Mai."

Mai sighed. "I'm not stupid. I know when you're fine, and you're not." She waited for his answer, and when she got none she continued. "I think I know what your problem is. You have to get these guys to listen to you. You're letting them walk all over you."

Apparently, this wasn't helping him calm down any. "How am I supposed to do that?! You won't even listen to me!" he retorted.

She scoffed. "That's because I'm your girlfriend, not one of your generals. There's a difference."

Zuko slumped into a nearby chair. "This is so much harder than I thought it would be." Mai could hear the distress in his voice. "I can't do this."

"You're right. You can't."

Zuko shot his head up at this comment. "I thought you were here to try to help me, but you're just making things worse!"

"I know you _can_ do this, but if you keep telling yourself you can't, that it's impossible, then yes, it is going to impossible." Mai wasn't one for insight and the 'You can do it!' talk, but he needed some sort of push, and seeing that his uncle wasn't there, it seemed like she'd have to be the one to do it. "Zuko, I've seen how good leaders present themselves. They're confident and cocky, but in a good way. I know this is going to sound dumb, but if you really seem to believe in what you're doing, people will see you have a plan and follow you. You have to _make_ them listen. Most of them will eventually change their minds."

Zuko ran his hands through his hair. "You don't get it! I can't _make_ them listen. I don't want to rule with fear like my father."

"I'm not saying they have to fear you. I'm saying they should respect you," Mai was so close to just giving up on him. He wasn't getting it.

"How do you expect me to do that?! Please Mai, I would love to hear it," he snapped at her.

That's it. She was through. If he wasn't going to be mature about this, then fine. It was impossible to talk to him in his current state. She tried to remain as calm as possible. "I don't know, I'm not the Firelord, that's for you to figure out. I was just trying to give you some ideas, but whatever," she spat back. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

She closed the door behind her, leaving Zuko to ponder what she had just said.

* * *

Whew. After working on this three seperate days its finally finished. It's a long one too. Hopefully I was able to keep everyone IC, even with all the drama going on.

--insert creative and catchy way to thank you guys for being awesome and reviewing--


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Zuko was in the final part of the war meeting, which meant it was probably going to last another two days before he got a break. The meeting so far seemed to go as the others had, which meant nothing much was getting accomplished.

He had thought about what Mai said, about getting them to listen and respect him. He hadn't exactly tried it though. It probably wouldn't even work. She made it sound so easy, but he knew it wouldn't be. Nothing ever was.

He really wished his uncle were here. He'd know what to do. Uncle always had all the answers. He wouldn't be happy here though. That's why Iroh opened a teashop in Ba Sing Se, and not the Fire Nation. For some reason Zuko couldn't even fathom, Uncle found peace in that city, which was so far away from the young Firelord and his current troubles.

Currently, General Zho was giving Zuko the most problems. He seemed to be the most opinionated out of the group of middle-aged men. Zuko was so close to blasting the guy out of the war room, but was able to control himself.

"General, I'm suggesting remove the troops from Paquin Bay. The Earth King has shown concern over that specific naval base." Before Zuko could continue his proposal, General Zho interrupted.

"We had naval bases in the Earth Kingdom before the war, Firelord. I don't see why we should give up one of our bases to the Earth King."

"I'm aware of that. But-" Zuko was cut off, yet again.

"Then why should remove the troops? It just doesn't seem to make sense to me," the General obnoxiously stated. Mutters could be heard throughout the group of officials.

Zuko was tired of this. He sighed and clenched his fist as the flames surrounding his throne grew. He gave in and decided to test out Mai's approach.

"Maybe if you would quit interrupting me, _General_, you would be able to hear my point. I'm the Firelord, and it is your duty as a citizen of the Fire Nation to listen to what I have to say and respect my opinion. I've been lenient with you this whole week. If you have something to say, you wait until I'm done speaking. If you decide otherwise, there will be a punishment. Do you understand, General?"

Everyone seemed to be taken aback by the Firelord's sudden outburst. No one had expected it. The young Firelord seemed timid throughout the whole meeting. Some of the politicians welcomed this sudden change. It showed the new Firelord had a spine. Others, including General Zho, were displeased. They of course didn't say anything for fear of the Firelord's "punishment".

"Now as I was saying, the Earth King sent a delegate over to observe the base and the nearby town. He reported that the town is still suffering from the Fire Nation presence. The naval base wasn't established until about sixty years after the war started. The area used to be a prime trading center for the upper class. Once the naval base was established, the area became too risky for nobles to trade there." Zuko couldn't believe it. He was able to get in that whole speech without being interrupted. What surprised Zuko more, was that some of the politicians were agreeing with him. Of course, most of them still weren't reassured that the Firelord had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart, but they didn't interrupt and only voiced their opinions every once in a while.

For the most part the meeting had gone smoothly. It even ended two hours before they normally would've called it a night. Zuko looked amongst the crowd of officials, one face caught his attention in particular. Zuko stepped off the throne and approached the person as they were getting ready to leave the room.

"Governor, I hope you don't mind staying a little longer for some tea. I'd like to talk with you," Zuko said to the man he knew as Mai's father, the previous Governor of Omashu.

The governor bowed to Zuko. "Of course, Firelord Zuko."

Zuko sat down at the long table beckoning the man to sit across from him, as a servant came out with a pot of tea and two cups, setting the tray down between the two.

"How do you think the meeting went today?" Zuko asked.

The Governor took a sip of his tea. He seemed hesitant to answer.

"I promise Governor, nothing you say will be held against you," Zuko reassured him.

"I thought it went well. Certainly got more done today than we have been all week," the Governor finally replied. He still seemed a little stiff. Zuko should've known this would happen. He knew Mai's family had always been worried about holding their political and not doing anything that could possibly ruin it.

"We have." Zuko sipped his tea before continuing with a smile. "I believe we have your daughter to thank for that."

The Governor seemed to almost drop his tea at that. He quickly set it down before spilling any. "Really? And why so?" he asked curiously.

"Last night after the meeting, she came into my study and we had a…_discussion_. She suggested I make the officials, like General Zho, understand. It was surprisingly quite helpful." That reminded Zuko that he would have to thank her for that later.

"I hope she didn't disrespect you in any way my Lord." The Governor seemed to completely ignore the fact that what his daughter had said was apparently helpful.

Zuko shook his head. "No, of course not."

The Governor finally seemed to relax a little at this. "So, what exactly did she say to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

The Firelord took another sip of his tea. "She told me I needed to be more confident. She told me that I needed to make the officials respect and listen to me." He paused and set his tea down. "You have a very smart daughter, Governor."

Something happened that Zuko didn't think would happen this whole conversation. The Governor smiled. "Thank you, Firelord. She was always bright, even at a very young age. I'm happy to see she's grown up well."

Zuko's smiled faded. He remembered there was something else he needed to discuss with the politician. "I do have a question for you though, and I want the complete truth. How is my popularity among the Fire Nation? Nobody has given me a report on it yet."

The smile faded from the Governor as well. "Well…among the commoners, its about average. They've always had an indifference to the government. As long as the economy remains stable, most of them are satisfied. Of course there are a good number that favored the war, but overall it's probably the best it could be with a major war like this ending."

"And what about the upper-class?"

The Governor sighed. "You must remember these opinions are not that of my own."

Zuko nodded, "Of course."

"Most of the upper-class is not pleased. A good number fought in the war and won great victories, and believe they now won those victories for nothing. Most of those displeased with you are going to be the high-ranking officers. We politicians of course aren't going to have that same emotional attachment. Yes, we've ruled colonies and dealt with the economy, but we didn't physically fight for anything. I've spoken with a _few_ who support your decision. It's a difficult concept to grasp though. We've been taught our whole lives that war was the right thing. Even my daughter had to explain to me about how this is keeping balance in the world. In time, most of them will understand. Of course there's always going to be the few who'll still disagree. There always will be. That's just their nature."

"Do you think there is any possibility of a rebellion from them?"

The Governor shifted his eyes to the side. "Not anytime soon, but…there is a small possibility sometime in the future. I couldn't say when, but I've heard some talk. That's probably all it is though, talk. The chances any of them actually taking action are very small."

Zuko inhaled deeply. He knew there was discussion going on, but he needed to hear it from someone else. For some strange reason, the Governor's words provided comfort. He needed to talk with someone who's had experience in politics, and with his uncle gone, Zuko had no one to go to. At least now he found someone older and wiser than himself who could provide him with some information. At least until Zuko visited his Uncle in Ba Sing Se.

Zuko stood up. "Thank you very much, Governor. This was…nice," he said for lack of better words.

The Governor bowed in respect and stood up also. "I enjoyed this very much my Lord. I hope we get another opportunity like this."

Zuko smiled. "Governor, there is something else I'd like to ask before you leave…"

--

Zuko took a nice, hot shower and dressed more casually before he treaded over to his old room. He didn't need his royal Fire Nation garb on right now. Zuko was kind of nervous though, as he approached the front doors. She was probably still mad at him. He'd have to try though. He knocked on the doors a lot harsher than he meant, out of uneasiness.

He didn't get any response, so he knocked again.

"Hold on, I'll be there in a second," he heard the familiar annoyed voice of his girlfriend beyond the door. Followed by some equally annoyed muttering he couldn't make out.

Finally the door opened to a somewhat agitated looking Mai, whose features softened somewhat when she saw him. It was obvious to Zuko that she was getting ready for bed.

Mai was the first one to say something. "Can I help you?"

Zuko snapped out of his daze. "Um, do you mind if I come in?" he asked stupidly.

She opened the door wider and allowed him admittance to the room, closing it behind her as he completely entered. "You aren't going to snap at me again are you?" she asked crossing her arms.

Zuko rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, um…I'm sorry about that Mai. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. And you were right."

Mai raised her eyebrows. He could tell she was growing increasingly satisfied with this conversation. "Right about what?"

Zuko shrugged. "About the whole getting the politicians to respect me and everything. I decided to try it and it worked."

Mai smirked. "And now you know your girlfriend does know something, and that you should consider that what she has to say _might_ actually be helpful?"

"Yeah." Zuko paused and moved closer until he was standing right in front of her. "So…do you forgive me?"

Mai placed her hand on the right side of his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb. "I guess. I forgot how dense you could be sometimes."

Zuko scowled at the comment. He appreciated her honesty. That's what made her different from everyone else, but it still had a tendency to agitate him.

His annoyance quickly dissipated when he felt her lips on his. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, with one hand on the small of her back and the other wrapped around her shoulders, playing with the loose hair hanging down. He didn't realized how much he missed her until now. Her mouth opened to allow access to his tongue as she pressed her mouth harder against his. He moaned softly. He missed this _a lot_.

Suddenly, she pulled away, with a smile on her face. He liked her smile, but he liked her kiss more. He had a confused look on his face. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt in her hand, and spun him around. _What was she doing_?

Suddenly Mai pushed him down. He landed on her bed, with Mai situated on top as she proceeded kissing him. Her hands tugging at his shirt in an attempt to get it off.

Apparently, she missed him too.

* * *

After a long time of procrastinating IT'S FINISHED!! I've also taken a liking to Mai's father (no, not in the romantic way :P). He seems like a pretty cool guy, at least how I write him.

Um...new chapter, this week or next. I'll try this week cause after next week school starts, and I won't be able to write much with that and volleyball. Stupid school...stupid volleyball...stupid movement class. WHAT THE HECK IS MOVEMENT?! I DIDN'T EVEN SIGN UP FOR IT!!

To my reviewers: Thank you...for being you.


	5. Chapter 5

The past month had flown by. The war meetings were growing shorter, the officials were becoming more tolerable, and the Firelord's popularity among his people was slowly growing. Just as Mai's father had said earlier though, there were still some shady politicians who seemed as if they'd never be satisfiedunless there was war. However, things seemed to be the most peaceful in the court as they'd been in a long time.

The final meeting for the next two months had finally let out, giving everyone a break. Most of the older men were going to use their time to vacation to either Ember Island or a similar resort with their families. Zuko was going to be taking his vacation somewhere else.

Currently, the young Firelord was talking with one of the Admirals about their plans for the break. Apparently, they had to remodel their vacation home on Ember Island after a group of rowdy teens destroyed the place a few months ago. Neither him nor his son, who was at the house at the time, knew the identity of the teens. Zuko decided it would be best if the Admiral never found out.

After the officials went on their way, Zuko ventured around the palace. He could feel the cool autumn wind ruffle his clothes as he searched for Mai. The weather was cool, but fairly pleasant after the intense heat the past season had brought.

Finally he found his target sitting by the turtleduck pond engrossed in a book. A smile crept onto his face as he gazed upon her. She looked so peaceful, leaned up against the tree as her hair flowed gracefully with the wind.

"Hey Zuko," Mai drawled without even looking up from her book. She saw him out of the corner of her eye as he entered the courtyard. She expected him to do something instead of just standing there looking at her, but got tired of waiting.

He jumped at the sound of her voice. He didn't think she noticed him. He strode over, taking a seat next to her. "You're reading?"

She set her book down and looked up at him. "I was."

He moved closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Mai followed by leaning up against him.

"So, am I finally going to have you for myself these next two months?" Mai asked. Sure, she had seen him more often recently, but there still wasn't a whole lot of time they got to spend together.

"Well, not exactly. I have to travel to the South Pole where I'm going to meet up with Aang and Katara, possibly Sokka and Suki if they're not on Kyoshi Island. Then we're going to pick up Toph whose been with her parents, and occupied with Earthbending competitions. Then we'll fly up to Ba Sing Se, where we'll visit my Uncle. I have to meet with the Earth King and give a speech to the city. Then we're traveling to the North Pole where I have to do the same thing. After that the two months will pretty much be up." He looked to Mai, who had a blank expression on her face.

"Oh," was her only reply.

He smiled. "You can come too. I already asked your father. He said he was okay with it."

Mai sighed. "So we'll be traveling with your friends pretty much the whole time?"

"Yeah. They like you, Mai, don't worry. And I'll make sure to keep Sokka away from you." He gave her a light kiss on her forehead.

Mai wasn't sure about the whole thing. She didn't exactly "fit in" with his group of friends. They had a bond from traveling and fighting together. Plus, they could be extremely annoying at times. "Would you really want me there? I'd be complaining the whole time."

"Of course I want you there. I'll be complaining too. I was barely able to keep sane before when I joined them."

Mai sighed and snuggled closer into him as the wind picked up. "Fine, I guess I'll go. I could use a change of scenery anyway."

After sitting in a peaceful silence for a few moments. A thought occurred to Mai. "What about the Firenation? Who's going to look after it while we're gone?"

"I've arranged to have more guards around the palace. Also, I ordered the servants to stay here too, so they can report anything suspicious. Plus, your father is going to write me a report once a week."

"Honestly, it seems like you talk to my dad more than I do. What do you even talk about anyway?" Mai asked curiously, glancing up at her boyfriend.

"Just politics and stuff. Nothing exciting," he shrugged.

"I'm sure," she retorted.

Zuko's head shot at her defensively. "What? You don't believe me?"

Mai smiled. "Not really. I don't think you're telling me the whole truth." Before Zuko could respond she quickly continued. "I don't care what you talk about though. I'll find out if it's important."

--

Two days later they readied for their departure, which to Mai's displeasure was at dawn. A servant came to her room five times trying to wake her up. Finally, she woke up, though extremely displeased, and prepared for the day.

She found Zuko waiting for her in front of the entrance to the palace, where a palanquin was waiting for the two. He smiled at her as she walked inside their "ride" and took a seat on the cushion next to her.

As they arrived at the docks, Mai found her parents were waiting to see them off, as were many of the royal guards, which were lined up on either side of the dock.

"Those guards aren't coming with us are they?" Mai asked.

Zuko shook his head. "No, I figured we could take care of ourselves."

As they walked up to the ship, Mai's mother pulled her aside and started talking to her.

"Now, Mai, remember you are going to be seen with the Firelord, so you have to act your best. And be careful in Ba Sing Se, though I trust you'll remain in the Upper Ring. If you venture anywhere else, there could be bandits or other scum," her mother lectured.

Mai turned her head to look at Zuko and rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine Mom. I've traveled in the Earth Kingdom before," Mai said as she looked back at her mother. Her mother gave a quick hug, which Mai halfheartedly returned. Zuko shook hands with her father and bowed to her mother. Mai's father gave her a quick peck on her forehead as he said his goodbye, and Mai and Zuko boarded the ship.

As the ship pulled out Mai turned to Zuko. "Ugh. I thought we'd _never_ get out of there."

* * *

Two updates in one week?! WOAH! Even though this chapter is short and kind of boring, I'm glad I got it up today. Its needed though to set everything up for the next few chapters. I'm thinking one chapter at the south pole, one at Kyoshi/ Toph's place, one or two in Ba Sing Se and one or two at the North Pole. Who knows with me.


	6. Chapter 6

Mai stood on the bow of the ship, gazing out at the icy waters they were traveling through. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun's rays reflected off of the glaciers making the snow sparkle. Mai would've found the scenery peaceful and serene if it weren't so frigid.

Mai's arms were crossed over her chest inside of her outer robe, trying to keep her hands warm. She was wearing five layers and still shivering.

She heard the metal door creak open and then shut from behind her, as someone walked on the deck towards her.

"We're almost there," she heard Zuko's voice approaching her before he stopped by her side.

"Ugh. _Finally_. If we traveled any further south, I think I would turn into an icicle," Mai drawled, still shivering.

Zuko noticed her discomfort and wrapped his arms around her, using his firebending to warm her up. He nuzzled his face into her hair, and she could feel his warm breath travel all the way down to her toes. She stopped shivering and let a slight smile creep onto her face, as her body warmed up.

Zuko spoke into her hair. "You know, it's warmer inside. You don't have to stay out here in the freezing cold all of the time."

"It stinks in there. Didn't you notice?" Mai asked.

Zuko shrugged, "No, not really. I mean it's a little stuffy, but bearable."

"What do you mean bearable? It smells like stinky old guys who need a bath." She made a face. "I thought I was going to throw up if I stayed in there any longer."

He remembered how after his father banished him, he boarded the ship and remembering that stench that Mai described. After a few months he was able to get used to it, and it didn't bother him anymore. "Well, we'll be there in an hour or two anyway."

"So we'll be traveling on the bison after this?" she asked hopeful.

Zuko chuckled. "Yeah, no more stinky old man smell." He was going to tell her Appa wasn't going to be much better, but decided to let her figure that out for herself.

--

The Southern Watertribe came into view. It was a lot nicer than Zuko remembered it. There were actual buildings there now instead of tents, though it was nothing compared to the Northern Watertribe.

Mai looked as if she'd just been slapped. "They live in _ice houses_?" she seethed. "Please tell me we aren't going to be staying in a block of ice."

Zuko shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I'm sure they're warmer inside…"

They saw the villagers run out of their buildings as the ship docked. Mai looked around at the people and wondered how many of them had frostbite.

Zuko was able to pick out Aang and Katara easily. They ran up to greet them as Zuko and Mai departed the ship.

They both gave Zuko a hug and greeted Mai. The Avatar's enthusiasm reminded her of Ty Lee.

Mai sniffed, she wanted to a warm fire or _some_ sort of heat.

"Wow, Mai," the avatar started, "you sound like you're getting a cold already."

Mai rolled her eyes and looked up at Zuko. "Yeah, imagine that."

"So, are Sokka and Suki here?" Zuko asked Katara.

She shook her head. "No, they're in Kyoshi now. We're going to pick them up on the way to Toph's." The waterbender turned towards Mai. "You can visit Ty Lee too, Mai. Suki said she's been eager to see you."

The corner of Mai's mouth turned up in amusement at the thought of seeing her old friend again. "That would be nice."

Katara and Aang showed them to their room, which was located inside of Katara's new house. Apparently the benders from the Northern Watertribe came down to help rebuild the Southern Watertribe, and started by giving everyone a new, but modest house, and a large council building in the center of the village.

"I figured you wouldn't mind staying together. We don't exactly have a whole lot of room," Katara said. "I know it's nothing special, but we're working on it."

Zuko flashed Mai one of his dorky grins. "It's fine Katara. It's a nice change from the palace."

Katara smiled, "Okay then. We'll be eating soon. Come down whenever you're ready."

As soon as Katara left, Zuko looked back at Mai, that same smile on his face. "See, Mai? It's not so bad. At least we can actually _stay_ together tonight without people talking."

"Hmm," she replied uninterested. "At least I won't die of hypothermia tonight. I was honestly more afraid of that."

Zuko chuckled as he grabbed her hand. "Come on, I'm sure they'll have something warm to eat."

--

For dinner, they had arctic hen and sea prune stew. Mai and Zuko had to admit, they enjoyed the hen, but the stew…

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it smells," Aang whispered to Mai as she sat there stirring her warm stew, debating on whether to risk it.

Mai looked up at him, and then warily tried some of the stew. She made a face as she forced herself to swallow it, though she had to admit, it felt nice to have the warm stew inside of her body.

Aang laughed. "See? Not as bad as it _smells_. It's still not very good. It takes some getting used to."

She glared at the boy. She sighed and shook her head. This boy's enthusiasm was contagious. Even Zuko seemed to be enjoying himself more than usual, as he was discussing politics with Chief Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's dad.

Mai found she was enjoying herself more than she would've thought. She was even having a friendly conversation with Katara, who she thought she'd like the least out of the group.

"How do you even _bear_ it here? It shouldn't be physically possible for it to be this cold," Mai said with a small smile barely visible on her face.

Katara raised an eyebrow. "How do you even _bear _it in the Firenation," she mocked. "It's practically boiling over there. You live in a crater!"

Mai's smile grew wider in amusement. "Touché." She glanced outside, it had to be late, but it looked as if the sun was just setting. "So does it ever get dark here?"

Katara nodded. "Yep. It's dark most of the time in the winter, early spring."

"No wonder you and your brother left with the Avatar," Mai replied shaking her head.

The night went on, and everyone started leaving one by one. Mai and Zuko both headed up to bed after Aang left. Mai could feel her eyelids were growing heaving and were closing involuntarily.

They both snuggled together under three very thick blankets on the mat Katara provided for them. Zuko's arm snaked around Mai's waist, pulling her closer to his body. She had never appreciated his Firebending as much as she did right now.

Mai was pleasantly surprised that so far, Zuko's friends didn't seem so bad. Though, they hadn't picked up Sokka and Toph yet. Mai sighed as she snuggled closer to Zuko. She felt him plant a kiss on her cheek before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

See? I'm still writing this!! Yay to no school today!

Thanks for all of the reviews guys! They're grrreat!!


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Mai woke up shivering under her fur-lined, animal-hide covers. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was as she groggily looked around. Once she got back to her senses, she realized Zuko was missing.

After preparing herself for the day, she ventured out into the harsh South Pole air. She saw Aang and Zuko by the bison and rushed over to the two.

"Hey Mai," the Avatar greeted with his wide, childish grin. "I see you survived the night."

"Mhmm," she replied, uninterested.

Aang continued, slightly discouraged at his failed attempt at humoring the girl. "Katara's just saying goodbye to everyone. We'll be off anytime now." The Avatar left the two to give a pep talk to Appa.

"I'm happy you came out here. I was afraid I was going to have to get you myself," Zuko said.

Mai rolled her eyes. "If we were anywhere else, you probably would've had to."

Shortly after, Katara came over, and everyone boarded the giant bison. Waving goodbye one last time, Aang signaled with, "Yip Yip" and they were off.

Mai, never having flown before, had a death grip on the side of the saddle and Zuko.

Surprised by Mai's reaction, Zuko looked down at her confused. "Are you okay?"

"This can't be safe," Mai responded, looking over the edge of the ascending bison.

Katara chuckled at the girl's terror. Seeing Mai's glower, she responded. "I'm sorry, but I never thought you would be the type of person to be scared by this thing."

"I'm not scared; I would just prefer not to fall to my death today," she retorted.

Zuko skillfully eased out of Mai's hold and put his arm around her. "Mai, don't worry. You're not going to die."

Aang, who was eavesdropping from the front, broke in, "Even if you did fall, we'd catch you before you hit the ground."

Mai glanced down at the icy water hundreds of feet below her. "Gee, thanks," she replied bitterly.

---

"I can see it!" Aang shouted to his groggy companions. They had been flying for hours now, and everyone was happy to finally land. And sure enough, the small island was in viewing distance. They could even see the small village beyond the trees.

As they descended, people began moving out their houses. Cheers could be heard by the villagers. Aang was a very popular fellow in Kyoshi; he even caused one of the citizens to foam wildly from the mouth.

"Well, that's disgusting," Mai said in her normal monotone, referring to the foaming man.

"…Yeah," Zuko replied with a horrified look on his face.

As soon as Aang's feet touched the ground, it seemed like everyone in the village swarmed towards him.

"Oyaji!" Katara exclaimed, referring to an elder man neither Mai nor Zuko knew.

The man smiled at Katara. "It's good to see you and the Avatar. When Sokka told us you were coming, the villagers were ecstatic." Then turning towards Zuko, Oyaji added, "You were the one who almost burned down our village, correct?" He was referring to the time when Zuko was hunting the Avatar and almost destroyed the village of Kyoshi in the process.

"I'm really sorry about that," Zuko frantically pleaded. "I was in a bad place then. If there is any way I could repay you…"

The man bowed his head, "I forgive you. Sokka and Suki explained it to me." He smiled to the young Firelord. "Although if you wouldn't mind, there is something you could do for me…"

Zuko looked back at Mai and shrugged, "Uh…yeah. Sure," and he was lead away by Oyaji.

"I wonder where Sokka and Suki are," Katara said breaking the silence.

Mai was wondering where someone else was, but before she could think on it any longer she was bombarded by a figure clad in green.

"Oh, Mai! It's so good to see you again!" The perky voice of Mai's friend, Ty Lee, piped up.

"Yeah, you too," Mai replied, returning the hug.

Ty Lee released the hug and turned to Katara. "Sokka and Suki are up at the dojo finishing up packing."

"Thanks. I think I'll head up there," Katara replied and ventured off up the road.

"You look ridiculous Ty Lee."

The girl giggled. "Come on, Mai. You had to wear this once too. Plus, I think it's cute."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I had to wear that against my own will. And you think _everything's_ cute."

At the memory of Azula making the girls disguise themselves as Kyoshi warriors Ty Lee was suddenly serious and asked, "How is she?"

Mai knew exactly who she meant. "She's…okay I guess. She's still unable to comprehend everything that happened, and apparently she's been seeing hallucinations of her mother." Seeing Ty Lee's distraught expression she added, "She's still Zuko's sister. He's not going to let anything happen to her. There is someone watching her at all times."

Ty Lee had a sympathetic but hopeful smile on her face, "She'll be back to herself again. I know it." She then twirled around and grabbed her gloomy friend's arm. "Come on, I'll show you Kyoshi. It's so adorable and…um…quaint? Yeah that's the word."

Mai must have spent at least an hour hearing Ty Lee babble on about _everything_ that happened since the two last saw each other.

"And even though I was a little upset that Sokka and Suki are a 'thing', I was able to get over it. There is this _really_ cute guy here who I think is interested in me. And I mean _really_ cute, Mai. Like, you would not believe."

"I'm sure I wouldn't."

"I know! He's not here now though; he's visiting his brother…somewhere. I forget where he said, but if he was here I would introduce you guys, and then you could believe."

"Hmmm"

"So how are you and _Zuko_?" Ty Lee asked in a sing-song voice.

"Fine."

"Come on, Mai, spill!"

"There's nothing to 'spill'."

"Ugh! You're no fun."

Mai shrugged, "I know."

"Mai, I'm your best friend! Or at least you're mine, and best friends share things like this. I know you like being doom-and-gloom all of the time, but you can open up around me. That's what I'm here for!"

Mai glanced over at her friend. "Ty Lee you _are_ my best friend, but there is seriously nothing wrong. If there is, I'll let you know, okay?"

Ty Lee smiled and shrugged accepting that. "Okay."

Hearing people approaching, the two friends looked over their shoulder and saw Katara, Sokka and Suki, who were carrying their bags, walking towards them.

Sokka mockingly bowed to Mai, "And how do you do?"

Mai gave a quizzical look to Suki.

"I know, I know, but he's mine," she explained to Mai. "Okay Sokka, you have to promise not to be _too_ weird."

Sokka put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Suki. I'll be good." He gave her a reassuring smile. "_I promise._" He picked up his bags and started running off. "Now come on! Appa's waiting!"

Suki gave Mai an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. He's going to be ten times more immature with Toph around too."

"Oh, I know," Mai replied. She then added, "Unfortunately…"

"He's not so bad once you get used to him. I thought he was an arrogant jerk when I first met him, but he proved me wrong." The girls heard Sokka shout something in the distance. "Well, most of the time."

Mai was enveloped in a hug from Ty Lee. "Okay, Mai, so remember what we talked about before. Let me know if anything happens, and even if nothing does I still want to hear from you."

"Alright, Ty Lee."

The acrobat then turned to Suki, "And same thing with you. If anything exciting happens you let me know."

Suki laughed, "Okay. I will. Watch over the other's for me, will you?"

"Of course!" Ty Lee beamed.

Another holler from Sokka let the girls know their time was up.

"Bye guys! Remember to keep me updated!" Ty Lee shouted as she waved goodbye to her two friends.

She watched them until the bison flew out of view, and doing what she did best, cart wheeled away.

* * *

I'm sorry for the wait.

And I just want everyone to know that how cool it was getting e-mails saying you guys were still leaving reviews and favoriting and subscribing months after I had last updated. So thank you for making my day multiple times. With that said, I will try to update more frequently now that I'm almost out of school (yay!)


	8. Chapter 8

"Fly! Fly! Fly!" the blind girl commanded as she used earthbending to launch herself onto Appa's saddle.

Aang obeyed, and Appa soared into the air.

"Toph, do your parents know you're leaving them for a while?" Katara asked, uneasy.

Toph shrugged. "Yeah, I told them."

"…And they gave you permission?"

"Of course not," she smiled mischievously. Knowing she was going to get lectured by Katara, she added. "I can take care of myself. At least I _told_ them I was leaving this time."

"She does have a point," Sokka spoke up.

Now Katara's glare was directed towards him. "Don't commend her actions, Sokka," she scolded.

Sokka put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm just saying."

"Look, the important thing is I'm here, right?" Toph asked.

Katara shook her head in disbelief but decided to drop it.

The group left Kyoshi only a few hours before and were now on their way to Ba Sing Se, picking Toph up along the way. It had been a long day for everyone, it was getting dark, and tensions were getting high.

Mai had drifted off to sleep on her boyfriend's shoulder, but Zuko was anything but tired. He was thinking about his upcoming visit with his uncle in Ba Sing Se and about what to ask him. He needed help on how to continue running the Firenation efficiently. He was progressing now, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. Even though Mai and her father were helpful, Zuko knew his uncle would have the most valuable insight on how to run the Firenation.

He would have a lot of time with his uncle too. The plan was, Zuko and Mai were going to stay with his uncle, and the rest of the gang was staying in their old house they resided in from their previous visit to the city. He was grateful for some time away from the others too. He really did enjoy being around them, but two months straight was a little bit too much for the young Firelord to handle.

All aboard the bison were quiet, most having dozed off. It was completely dark now; the moon and stars were blocked by thick clouds. Zuko noticed that the ground and trees below were getting closer.

"Aang?" he asked curious.

The Avatar turned back to face Zuko. "Appa's getting tired, and Ba Sing Se is still a couple of hours away. We need to stop and make camp for the night."

Once the bison landed, everyone woke up and began setting up camp.

"Why do we even need to set up camp? It's a warm night, we could probably just sleep outside," Toph complained.

"Judging from the sky, it's probably going pour any moment," Sokka answered noticing the billowing clouds overhead.

"Well in that case…" The earthbender shot out her arms and two stone slabs formed a shelter. "All finished."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Toph…" she warned.

Toph reluctantly crawled out of her tent and walked towards the others, "Fine."

Zuko was busy with the fire. Sokka had gathered most of the wood, but they were all small twigs.

"That was all I could find," he shrugged seeing Zuko's confused face.

"That's probably all we need. I don't think the fire is going to last very long," Zuko replied gazing up at the sky.

Once he got the fire lit, Zuko walked over to Mai, who was finishing assembling her tent. "Need any help?" he asked, although it looked like she got it all under control.

"You're a little late," she replied. "Suki already helped me."

As if on cue, Suki popped out from behind the tent. "I think it's all done."

"Thanks."

"No problem, Mai." Seeing Zuko there, Suki continued, "I'm going to go and see if Sokka needs any help with his tent," and she walked off leaving the two alone.

"Are you going to be okay with this whole camping thing?" Zuko asked, knowing Mai was not one for the outdoors.

Mai shrugged, "I don't really have any other choice." She turned to face him. "Where are you sleeping?"

"Mai, you know I can't stay with you."

"I was just asking where you were sleeping," she replied dryly. "But now that you brought it up, why not? We stayed together last night."

Zuko shook his head. "Yeah, but that's because they didn't have enough room. Sokka and Suki didn't stay together the whole time I was with them." Zuko then remembered the time he walked in on Sokka, who was obviously preparing a romantic evening with Suki, and then added, "At least not that they made known."

Mai rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine. I'm going to bed. I think flying on that bison made me nauseous."

Zuko kissed her forehead. "Goodnight." He headed over to the small fire where the rest were sitting, except for Katara.

"Hey where's Mai?" Sokka asked.

"She went off to bed. She wasn't feeling good."

"Katara went to bed too," Aang replied.

Suki yawned and stretched out her arms. "I think I might do the same." She pecked Sokka on the cheek. "'Night."

"Goodnight, Suki," Sokka smiled at his girlfriend, and watched her walk off. "Now it's your turn, Toph."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "For _what_?"

"To go to bed."

"Why do _I _have to go to bed?"

"Cause we can't have guy talk with you still here," Sokka explained.

Toph glared in his direction. "I'm not tired," she spat.

"It doesn't matter!"

She crossed her arms defensively. "I'm not leaving till I'm tired, got it?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Fine!" he shouted. Then a mischievous grin lit up his face. "Suki is the greatest isn't she? She's pretty and strong..." Sokka leaned in as if telling a secret, "and she's a great kisser too."

Toph jumped up. "That's it!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "You win, Sokka! I don't want to be part of your stupid 'guy talk' anyway." She marched off to her rock shelter and earthbended the front to slam shut.

"That's better," Sokka said. "So, how have you guys been?"

"I've been good I guess," Aang shrugged.

"Zuko?" Sokka asked.

Zuko just shrugged in response. "Good."

Sokka shook his head. "You guys are no fun! How's ruling the Firenation going?"

Aang piped up, "Yeah how's the Firenation? Did it calm down at all?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, actually it did a little. Mai and her father have been helping me out, but I just really need to see my uncle and talk to him about it. Apparently there are rumors of rebellion, but Mai's father just thinks they're only rumors. I'm worried they're not."

"Who would start the rebellion?" Aang asked.

"The generals and the ones who were out fighting. They feel that they have fought and won all of those victories for nothing."

"Well, if you need any help with anything, you can always contact me. My Avatar duties have been quiet lately."

"Thanks Aang."

There was a period of comfortable silence as the guys sat around the fire. Zuko didn't know why, but everything just felt right in this moment.

"This is like old times, isn't it?" Sokka asked. "Just camping out under the…" Sokka looked up remembering there were no stars that night "…clouds. A month ago, we were doing this same thing, except now Mai's with us." Remembering something, Sokka added, "How are you guys doing by the way?"

Zuko shrugged. "Good, I guess."

"You really like her, don't you Zuko?" Aang asked.

Zuko smiled, "Yeah, I do."

"Yeah, you seem a lot more…peaceful with her." Sokka commented after finding the right word. "It's funny how everything works out; you and Mai, and me and Suki. I can just tell that we're going to stay together forever. You know?"

Zuko nodded in response. He knew exactly what Sokka was talking about. Everything with Mai just seemed right, even when they were arguing it always worked out before things got too heated. "So Aang," Zuko started not wanting to leave the airbender out, "Are you and Katara dating yet?"

Aang's face dropped, and he glanced nervously over to Sokka, who looked unfazed. A bright red blush slowly lighted up his whole face. "What are you talking about Zuko?" he answered nervously.

"Come on, Aang," Sokka said. "When are you guys going to get together?"

A wave of relief seemed to come over Aang. "You mean, you don't mind?"

"Psh no," Sokka said nonchalantly. "How stupid do you think I am? I knew you guys liked each other since forever! Plus, Toph and I made a bet on when you guys are getting together. She said before the war, so now I win, but only _if_ you guys get together."

"Oh," said Aang, obviously uncomfortable. "…thanks Sokka."

"Sure, sure, I'd rather have her with the Avatar than someone like Jet," Sokka added.

The three talked a little while longer about their girlfriends, and Aang's crush, before it started to rain lightly, and the fire died down.

"Oh well," Sokka stated noticing the dying embers, "I guess that means it's time for us to head to bed."

Aang yawned, "Yeah, I'm kind of tired anyway." He stood up and walked towards his tent. "Goodnight guys."

The other two said their "goodnights", and Zuko noticed Sokka wasn't heading for his tent. "Isn't your tent over here?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, but I was thinking about staying with Suki tonight," he replied rubbing the back of his head. "Since, it's getting kind of cold and stuff."

"Yeah I guess it is." It wasn't really getting cold; it was actually still kind of muggy, but Zuko understood. He headed for bed, in the tent next to the one Suki and now Sokka were staying in.

He quietly pulled back the flap, and lightly walked to the mat as to not wake the figure lying on it. He wrapped his arms around Mai's sleeping form.

She groggily turned her head to look at him and smiled. "I think you're lost. I'm sorry to inform you, but this isn't your tent," she drawled, her speech slurred from sleepiness.

"Oh, well since I'm already here, I hope you don't mind if I just stay. I wouldn't want to wake the others," he joked back.

"But you don't care if you wake me?" she retorted.

He shrugged. "I could leave."

"I guess you're right," she smiled. "Since you're already here, you might as well stay." She lay back down, her back facing him. "Just don't wake me up again."

Zuko chuckled and kissed her cheek, as she snuggled into him. He too began to slowly drift off to sleep. The last thing he thought about was Sokka saying how everything seemed right, and Zuko agreed. And he thought, as the rain began to hammer his tent, this seemed _very_ right.

* * *

Phew! That was a biggie. Thanks everyone for all of the reviews/favs./alerts etc.! I love hearing from you guys!


End file.
